V.
DUTY AND DISCIPLINE AFLOAT.
THE SHIP'S COMPANY IN DETAIL FROM THE SKIPPER TO THE SEA-COOK.
To cruise with pleasure from port
to port and to win races—the
yacht owner must remember that
he can do neither unless his sailing-master
thoroughly understands his
business. Whether amateur or professional,
the skipper must be a man of
dash and daring tempered with a modest
soupçon of discretion, active, vigilant,
with his weather eye wide open at
all times and seasons. He must have
the knack of handling men so as to get
every foot-pound of energy out of them
that is in them. He should be a strict,
but not necessarily a stern, disciplinarian;
and he should have sufficient diplomatic
instinct in his make-up to know
when to wink at a slight lapse on the
part of a generally capable and faithful
blue-jacket.
The personnel of the racing yacht is of the greatest importance, and, if not of the best, the career of the vessel is not likely to be crowned with the laurels of success. The man in command must have the rare gift of personal magnet-
